Kaftrio 35 Dispute 

Update 3 November, 2022  

Following the CFI protest outside the Oireachtas; recent meetings with the Minister for Health and VERTEX and the strong statement issued by CF Clinicians/specialists (available on our website) CFI senses there is at present an improved window of opportunity for both the HSE and VERTEX to resolve the cruel pricing dispute that has led to the exclusion of 35 children with CF from the ground-breaking drug Kaftrio. We hope (and pray) that our optimism is not misplaced. A failure to seize this window of opportunity has the potential to:  

• Damage the health of the 35 children at the heart of this dispute
• Prolong the chances of a resolution   
• Result in reputational damage, especially for industry
• Corrode the key relationships between clinicians and industry from which this ground-breaking drug therapy has emerged 
• Contribute to the prolonged anxiousness and frustration for the families at the heart of this dispute. 

Philip Watt, CEO of CFI states: "Now is the time for resolution of this dispute by both VERTEX and the HSE. We know from a recent meeting with other patient groups at an international level, this dispute is being watched closely in many other countries. Not only from a sense of empathy (and dismay) for the 35 excluded children in Ireland, but also increasing concern that the legacy and fall out from this dispute has the potential to undermine accessibility and future certainty elsewhere. We urge that on-going meetings will now result in a breakthrough."